New fen communities in Latvia
2005
Salmina, L.(Latvian Fund of Nature, Riga (Latvia))E-mail:[email protected]
The floristic composition and ecology of rich and moderately rich fen communities found in limnogenous mires in Latvia were studied. Five plant communities were obtained in a cluster analysis used in vegetation data classification. An indicator species analysis was applied to describe plant communities and determine the best indicator species for each community. Three new associations for Latvia, Caricetum buxbaumii, Chrysohypno-Trichophoretum alpini and Eleocharitetum quinqueflorae and two already known associations, Caricetum lasiocarpae and Schoenetum ferruginei, were distinguished. Caricetum buxbaumii was mainly found in rich fens in the Coastal Lowland like Schoenetum ferruginei, while Chrysohypno-Trichophoretum alpini and Eleocharitetum quinqueflorae occurred in moderately rich fens throughout Latvia. The Ellenberg indicator values were used to study the ecological differences among the plant communities. Results of the canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated that differences among the five fen communities are determined mainly by soil reaction (R), nitrogen content (N), and supported by such factors as moisture (F), light (L) and climate (K).
اظهر المزيد [+] اقل [-]